One Last Time
by FaithfulGold
Summary: If only I could see your smile again...one last time...
1. Chapter 1

I wish I could have seen your smile... one last time... That cheesy smile of yours that always made me laugh no matter how hard the times. Your stupid grin that you would always give me because you always liked to live in the moment; those times, even though I will never say it out loud, were always special to my heart. I will admit that you were never really given much credit for almost anything.

I would see you every day with sweat on your brows, taking whatever task you had in the most serious way possible. It didn't matter if that specific mission was to chase a cat with your comrades, or to pick potatoes for a farmer far out into the fields, you still made every day and every mission count to the fullest. Even then, with all your hard work, people didn't really think much about you, but of course you proved them wrong. You flew through the ranks without me and became a wonderfully strong jounin. I believe that everyone was shocked the day that you earned your well deserved rank. I of course, always knew that you were something special...

You knew your weaknesses from the start, and you built everything from the bottom up. You are what you are today because you never looked back. However, it would have been nice if you glanced back once in a while. Sometimes, I think that you didn't even remember I was always there behind you to catch you when you fell...


	2. Chapter 2

The blood, it's everywhere. My chunnin flak jacket wasn't able to protect my upper body as well as I thought it would. A low groan comes out of my lips as I try to shift my body so I can see the baby blue sky for a moment of well earned peace. I'm not stupid, of course I know that my time is quickly diminishing, but it's not like I can stop it. The students I protected from a rogue attack would have gotten help by now, but it wouldn't be fast enough to save me. It's utterly ironic that I would die, not in a far away country on a top secret mission, but on the home soil a few miles away from Konohagakure. I smile to myself, ignoring the line of blood coming from my mouth, at the irony of the situation.

'Oh well, at least the kids are alright. I brought down the threat,' I thought to myself as I lay on my death bed. 'The best way to die is by protecting something precious. Although, it would have been nice if I had gotten to seem him smile again... Why did he always smile again?'

FLASHBACK

"Why do you always frown," asked Might Gai, as we were walking to the Hokage Mansion to report our completed B ranked mission.

"I don't know. Why do you always smile," I answered back with a half-hearted grin. We just looked into each others eyes and left the conversation at that. It was hard for me to stare into his eyes since he was so much taller than me with his six foot tall height and my short five foot one demeanor.

It was always like this, him with his long legs and me with my short ones. I was always made fun of for my height when I was younger, since it could hinder me with my duties as a shinobi, but as time passed, I decided to ignore the little things. Guy never bothered with it, saying that it was 'nothing to worry about.' Ever since then, he's been my best friend. It's really funny, our friendship. If you paid close enough attention, then you would know that we've been friends for years, but no one ever really paid much attention to the weird guy in the green jumpsuit and the short girl that could be passed as a civilian.

By the time we made it to the mansion, the sun was already setting for the day and the both of us were exhausted. With the short report given to the Hokage, we were dismissed for the day until further notice.

"Are you going to train your genin tomorrow," I asked out of the blue. Gai just looked at me with a small smile and nodded.

"You're welcome to train with us if your not busy." I just shook my head and said that I would think about his offer.

He walked me home that night even though he really didn't need to. His home was all the way on the other side of Konoha, and it was usually a big hassle to walk back from my house. I started to close my front door after saying goodnight, but I stopped to stare at his retreating back. In a somewhat loud voice I answered his question from before.

"I frown for the both of us. I frown because you never do." He stopped mid step before turning around to face me. I couldn't really see his face with the darkness of the night surrounding him, but I could somehow tell that he was smiling. Before he could reply back to me, I closed my front door and hurriedly went up the steps to my bedroom to silently scream in my pillow for my almost confession.

*END FLASHBACK*

Thinking back on it now...I never really did get an answer to why he always smiled...


	3. Chapter 3

My beautiful Natsuki...why, oh why did it always have to be you? Always the valiant one that sacrificed everything for the benefit of others. My sweet, sweet Natsuki... Never have you ever complained about the world and it's unfair views on life for your own honor, but always for the sake of another person's.

Why did you always have to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or better yet, the wrong place at the right time? Never were you the one to smile easily, but always the one to protect something without question. This honorable side of you always got us into sticky situations, but that is also one of the reasons why I have loved you for so long... Never have I told you my feelings for you, but I truly regret not telling you now.

'Why, oh why did it have to be you, my sweet Natsuki,' I repeat to myself as I continue to dash through the forest.

Seeing you smile was always so rare, but I could always somehow make you laugh at least once in a day. My goal was always to see you happy, my friend. Looking back, the reason why I smiled so much in your presence was not only because I loved you, but because I smiled for the both of us. I remember that night when you told me that you frowned for the both of us, it made me so happy to know that you thought of me at all.

"Hold on, Natsuki," I murmured quietly.

"Gai, slow down a little! Any faster and the medic squad won't be able to catch up," exclaimed Kakashi, my rival. I looked back over my shoulder to check on the squad behind me, he was right, the squad was fast but not fast enough to keep up with my pace. I didn't slow down, but I hesitated before pumping more energy into my legs to go faster.

"They're too slow Kakashi! I'm going on ahead to check the damages," I shouted over my shoulder, and before Kakashi could reply I was already rocketing off to my Natsuki.

By the time I made it to the clearing where the students claimed to have last seen the rogue and Natsuki fight, I could see the evidences of a tough battle. Whoever this rogue was, he would have been at least a jounin rank against Natsuki's chuunin rank.

"Damn it," I swore quietly.

Kunai and shuriken were spread all throughout the huge clearing. Trees were knocked over and large gashes on the trunks were clearly visible for even the untrained eye of a civilian. Splatters of blood were scattered throughout the grass and branches of the trees, and all the signs lead up to at least one or both of them being critically injured. A bit further, I spotted a leg to my right. Quickly jumping to the side of the body, I found that it was the body of the rouge ninja, well now a dead ninja.

'That's at least a good sign,' I thought to myself as I scanned again for another body, or something that could give me a sign to her whereabouts. Then I spotted it, a small trail of blood going into the direction Konohagakure. It wasn't long before I stumbled upon another body...

"NATSUKI!" I yelled as I went to her side.

Her eyes were closed and the damage to her body was extensive. She looked like a beautiful broken doll with her eyes closed like that. Her long black hair was scattered like a fan in long wavy strands, while her already pale skin was drained of her blood to give it a whiter color than usual. In slow movements I picked her up to cradle her close to my chest. By the way of the shinobi, I am forbidden to cry, but damn the rules when I comes to her! Looking at her like this tears me up inside! I should have been there for her when she needed me most! I could have killed that rogue without getting her so hopelessly broken!

"DAMN IT!" I cursed, as a piece of my heart cracked open. It wasn't until a moment later that I could hear a small voice calling my name.

"g...ga...Gai...?" I immediately looked down at the precious body in my arms.

"Yes! Yes, I'm right here, Natsuki...I'm right here," she gave me a small smile as I spoke.

"You're not smiling..."

"How can I when your hurt like this," I asked her.

"But I love it when you smile, Gai. Can't you smile one more time for me, Gai," Natsuki asked as she tiredly closed her eyes again.

"Why are you acting like this will be the last time you'll see it," I asked choking on some of the words. All she did was smile weakly at me as she slowly raised her hand to loosely hold my own, my body heat slowly warming her cold hands.

"NO! NO, I'm not going to! I'm not saying goodbye like this! I'll smile for you when you wake up and get better, Natsuki! Please...please don't ask me to say goodbye like this," I begged her as I held her closer to my body. Tears were threatening to fall from my eyes as I heard the medic squad and Kakashi finally getting to where we are. Kakashi found us first in our compromising situation, but didn't comment until the medic squad carefully pried her away from my arms to start healing her.

All that could be heard for a while was the rushing of the quick work of the squad, as Kakashi and I were off to the side watching the whole healing process. It wasn't until a long moment later that the leader of the squad deemed her healthy enough to carry back quickly to the hospital to get her fully treated before they lost her completely.

The trip back to the village was a total blank for me. I don't remember ever carrying her back in my arms, or ever passing the gates of the village, but I know I did it or else I wouldn't be in front of the emergency surgery room doors waiting for my love to come out breathing. Kakashi was there by my side the whole time, but I didn't pay attention to him until he finally spoke.

"How long," he asked, breaking the tense quiet of the hall. I just looked at him with a blank stare.

"How long," he repeated. "How long has it been since you've been seeing each other?" I sighed, knowing that he would eventually ask. He and Natsuki have been friends for as long as I have, but nothing but friendship ever came out of their relationship. I remembered him having some type of feelings for her a couple years back, but nothing ever came out of it, so I wasn't ever worried.

"Our relationship isn't like that, Kakashi," I answered. "It's just a one sided love of mine." I sighed dejectedly.

"Hn. Then I guess the one she talked about wasn't you then."

"What?"

"Oh nothing. Just that the only reason I never went after her was that she politely declined my feelings, saying that she already has someone she loves," Kakashi said cryptically. I just glared at him, obviously this other man wasn't going to be me... or was it?

"Want me to tell you what happened that day," Kakashi asked me with a serious face.

"If you want..."

"Alright then. It all happened on one of our breaks when you were off on a mission with your team..."

* * *

Whew! Well that chapter's over and done with! I honestly didn't think this story was going to be several chapters long :/ I planned this story to be a one-shot like my Itachi story, but life is never predictable right?

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters, except my OC. Honestly, if I owned Naruto I wouldn't be writing these stories and would probably be rich right now.

Thanks for reading and please follow, review, or something. If there are any requests for other stories, then leave me a message. And if you have any fresh twists or ideas for this story or any of my other ones, then message me for that,too, cause that would be greatly appreciated :)


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